ICE shooting in Minnesota: Agents may killed man with phone, not gun
Police officers in the US (Photo: Getty Images)
New video from the scene of the shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis contradicts ICE’s official account that the man approached officers with a weapon, reports The New York Times.
Footage verified by the outlet shows that 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti was not holding a gun, but a mobile phone, when agents detained him and forced him to the ground.
The video shows Pretti standing on the street, recording events on his phone without displaying aggression toward law enforcement. One of the agents is also seen spraying pepper spray toward him and other protesters.
Then federal agents tackled Pretti to the ground, after which shots were fired. The footage shows that the weapon allegedly belonging to Pretti ended up in an officer’s possession only after he had already been pinned to the pavement.
Earlier, officials from the US Department of Homeland Security claimed that the man had approached agents with a gun and posed a threat. However, video analysis has cast doubt on this version, triggering a wave of criticism and protests, as well as calls for an independent investigation.
The media described the victim as a healthcare worker with no criminal record. After the video was published on social media, many users noted that the footage does not support official claims that Pretti threatened agents with a weapon, emphasizing that he may have simply been documenting law enforcement actions.
Shooting in Minnesota
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, where protests against US President Donald Trump’s migration policy are taking place, federal immigration agents shot and killed a man. This is already the second fatal incident involving civilians this month.
According to the official version, the man posed a threat to ICE agents with a weapon. Trump commented on the shooting, siding with law enforcement.
However, videos from the scene analyzed by the media contradict the official account that the man posed a threat to federal agents - the claim about a weapon falls apart, as the footage shows he was holding a phone in one hand and nothing in the other.
The incident sparked criticism of law enforcement. According to the latest reports, people across the US are taking to the streets in protest.
